Holy Family Academy Corporate Work Study 2014-15 Annual Report

Holy Family Academy Corporate Work Study Annual Report | 2014-15

H O L Y F A M I L Y A C A D E M Y

http://hfa-pgh.org

1 HFA Corporate Work Study Annual Report 2014-15

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WELCOME MESSAGE 2

PROGRAM OVERVIEW 3

Introduction 3

Sanctioned work study program 3

Schedule 4

Work assignments 5

PROGRAM OVERSIGHT 6

SPONSOR PARTICIPATION 7

STUDENT TRAINING 8

Work Study Orientation 8

Assignments and Projects 10

STUDENT PERFORMANCE 10

St. Joseph the Worker Scholarship 13

ISSUE REPORTING AND RESOLUTION 14

Student illness 14

Request for student to go off-site 14

Incident requiring investigation 15

Behavior needing to be improved 15

APPENDIX A: ORGANIZATION PARTICIPANTS 16

Work-Study Employers 16

Funding Contributors 17

APPENDIX B: PERMISSION FOR OFFSITE WORK DAY FIELD TRIP FORM 18

APPENDIX C: STUDENT BEHAVIOR REPORTS 19

HFA Work Study – Incident Report 19

HFA Work Study – Opportunity For Improvement (OFI) Report 20

HFA Work Study – Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) 21

APPENDIX D: SAMPLE ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION LETTERS 23


WELCOME MESSAGE

Dear Friends of Holy Family Academy,

Education is a crucial factor in life and the means by which we gain meaningful work and financial

stability, realize the dignity of our lives, and build a good society.

Quality education can lead to a career that provides challenge, recognition, responsibility, and

creates value for one’s family and society. Our Catholic faith teaches us, in the words of St.

Thomas Aquinas, “To live well is to work well.” Work is a form of continuing participation in

God’s creation. The dignity of work is the hallmark of the Holy Family Academy, and the words

of St. Thomas are its motto.

Holy Family Academy’s mission is to prepare students of all faiths and of limited economic means

to succeed in school, work, and life, and to contribute to the civic, religious, business, and cultural

life of society.

The primary goal of the school is to prepare students to succeed in post-secondary education:

college, technical schools, or apprenticeship programs. By providing a rigorous, relevant, real

world, 21st century curriculum and in-depth work experience, students will be prepared for a

diverse array of jobs and careers after high school.

In this exciting inaugural year, we launched this innovative school with an energy and optimism

that was equaled only by the wonderful fulfillment we experienced seeing our 9th

-grade students

grow. They learned to work with each other as well as to excel in their work-study placements.

And we are so very grateful to the sponsors from our business, non-profit, university, and

government partners. They contributed time, energy, care, and funding toward the wonderful

success of our first year. We owe each of them a debt of gratitude.

Please join us in celebrating the 2014-15 school year and work-study achievements!

Sister Linda Yankoski Deborah Sadowski

President Director of Corporate Work Study


PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Introduction

Holy Family Academy’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) partners with Pittsburgh’s

top employers to provide real-world work experience to students. This partnership

engages students early on to help build the next

generation of professionals. Every student takes

a full course load for four years, and also

participates one day each week in a four-year

work-study program to fund the majority of

his/her tuition.

Students perform a range of work typical of an

entry-level position, from administrative to

research. The CWSP is an innovative means of

providing students with crucial hands-on, business

work experience, while simultaneously

empowering them to assume an active role in

financing a major portion of their education. As a

result of working in a business environment,

students acquire valuable job experience and marketable skills, develop a network of

business contacts, gain exposure to a wide range of career opportunities, develop a

strong work ethic, and increase self-esteem.

Sanctioned work study program

Holy Family Academy (HFA) operates this work study program with the approval of the

U.S. Department of Labor as one not interfering with the schooling or with the health and

well-being of the students involved. This includes adhering to the provisions contained in

CFR section 570.37 of the U.S. Labor Law regarding

employment of minors 14 and 15 years of age who

are enrolled in school-supervised and school-

administered work-study programs. The 2014-15

program was designed and executed to follow the

criteria in this section of the labor law, and there

were no findings of violations of workplace

compliance.

“I really like how <student>

is very meticulous when it

comes to the presentation of

her work. Her soft skills are

remarkable, and she is so

comfortable communicating

around the organization.”

~ Work Study Supervisor


Schedule

During the 2014-15 school year, students

worked one day each week at their assigned

employer’s office. Each student was assigned

a work day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

or Thursday) and attended classes on the

other four days of the week. Work study

assignments began on September 2, 2014

and completed on May 28, 2015. For this

work study, students received one credit and

were graded by job supervisors and the HFA

CWSP teacher-coordinator. The school

calendar was designed such that the hours of

classroom instruction required by the

Pennsylvania Department of Education were

delivered for all courses.

On a student’s work day, s/he reported to school and homeroom, just as on other days of

the week. Following homeroom, students briefly gathered for any announcements

regarding work study and to be given a boxed lunch to

take to work.

Students were transported by HFA buses/vans to their

work offices, arriving generally between 8:45 and 9:30

am. During the work day, students were given a 30-45

minute lunch at a time that aligned with the office

schedule. In the afternoon, HFA vehicles picked up

students generally between 2:00 and 2:50 pm and

transported them back to Holy Family Academy, where they boarded their standard

transportation home. The length of a student’s work day was

typically between 5 and 5-1/2 hours.

Throughout the school year, students did not report to school or

work on school holidays or snow days. On days with a 2-hour

snow delay, students were transported to work two hours later

than the regular schedule and were picked up in the afternoon

at the normal time. On occasions where a student’s assigned

office was closed on a work day, the student remained at HFA

for supervised in-service work training activities.

“I had a ton of fun working

during my 9th grade year. Every

week I would go into work and

be greeted by tons of really

friendly, fun coworkers. I would

have an assignment ready for

me that I could do at my own

reasonable pace.”

~ HFA Student


“<Student> continues to do a

great job at our company. He

isn't afraid to ask questions or

take on any assignments. He

fits in well with the agency

culture / atmosphere and we're

happy to have him on our team.”


Work assignments

Each student was assigned to an employing organization at a specific location with an

identified primary supervisor. Organizations determined the department(s) within the

office that would oversee student tasks. In some cases, students worked in the same

department each week throughout the year; other organizations rotated students among

departments. The primary supervisor was responsible for establishing the schedule,

ensuring that students were informed of

their assigned departments/building

locations, and seeing to it that

department supervisors adhered to HFA

work-study guidelines. Primary

supervisors communicated with HFA

regarding student performance and any

questions/issues (e.g., student illness).

The nature of the assignments differed among employers and varied throughout the

year. Supervisors were instructed to seek tasks for the students that would be of value to

the organization and to provide learning and growth opportunities for HFA students in

both needed hard skills (e.g., office equipment, technology, alphabetizing/filing) and

critical soft skills (e.g., communications, time management, organization). Sample tasks

performed by students throughout the year

included:

Administrative/clerical support: copying,

scanning, shredding, creating files, filing

documents, preparing mailings, separating

returned mail, sorting/delivering mail

Preparation for events

Creation of business letters, running mail

merge

Internet research

Data entry (Excel®, custom databases)

Flyer design/creation (PowerPoint®,

Publisher®)

Printing of certificates, name badges

Posting announcements in building

Maintaining bulletin boards

Tallying and summarizing survey results

Reception duties: answer phones, greet and direct visitors

IT assistance – test computers, review training materials, conduct inventories


PROGRAM OVERSIGHT

Holy Family Academy’s work study program was designed and implemented by the CWSP

program staff and assisted by members of the HFA staff. The Director of Corporate Work

Study coordinated planning of all aspects of the program and was accountable for results.

All transportation of students to/from work-study sites was coordinated by the Director of

Transportation. Students rode in school buses and vans, driven by HFA staff who were

certified to transport students.

Three Student Success Associates (SSA) worked for the

CWSP program – one through the Change-A-Heart

program, two others through post-Peace Corps university

fellowships. The SSAs each were assigned a set of work-

study organizations and the students working at those sites.

Throughout the year, they worked one-on-one with

students regarding skills and competency improvements,

trained groups of students on areas needing improvement,

visited work-study sites, and supervised students

before/after work study and those who were assigned to

in-service days. The SSAs also aided HFA staff with student-related activities.

The HFA Office Manager assisted in morning

and afternoon transportation supervision and

served as a backup for the Director Corporate

Work Study regarding communications among

stakeholders.

Work sites were visited regularly by the

Director of Corporate Work Study and

assigned HFA staff to confirm that

requirements related to employing minors

were understood and followed, to answer

questions from supervisors, and to reinforce to

students the collaboration between work

supervisors and HFA staff.

“I’ve learned many things from

the work-study assignment. I

was lucky enough to work with

people who wanted to see me

succeed, who actually cared

about me on a personal level. ”

~ HFA Student


SPONSOR PARTICIPATION

The Holy Family Academy model is successful in great part due to help from our

corporate partners, who provide financial sponsorship and/or entry-level positions for our

students. Support in the Pittsburgh region

has been wonderful and inspiring, and we

thank these fine organizations.

The Corporate Work Study Program

engaged with Pittsburgh-area

organizations in one of three models:

Funding Work-Study Employers –

organizations that sponsor work-study jobs for students and contribute funds to the

HFA CWSP through foundations, business donations, or Pennsylvania tax credit

programs (EITC/OSTC).

Non-Funding Work-Study Employers – non-profit organizations such as charities,

universities, and government offices that sponsor work-study jobs but do not

contribute funding to HFA; these organizations provide in-kind services when possible

to support the HFA CWSP mission.

Financial Supporters – organizations contributing funds to the HFA CWSP in

support of students working at non-funding employers.

Both funding and non-funding employers adhered to the same participation expectations

in operation of the work-study program.

Appendix A lists the organizations that participated in the 2014-15 CWSP.

Work-Study Employers participated in

on-boarding training and refresher

sessions throughout the year.

Training was conducted through a

combination of group meetings, in-

person sessions, and conference

calls.


The agenda included:

Overview of Holy Family Academy students, curriculum, schedule

Requirements for employing minors

Student dress code

Transportation policies

Expectations for student performance feedback

Grading system

Workplace safety

Supervisory guidelines

Digital policies

Tips for supervising teenagers

Sample department assignments and tasks

STUDENT TRAINING

Work Study Orientation

Before Holy Family Academy students began their work-study assignments, they received

training for their entry-level positions. Sessions were conducted during the summer of

2014 in a 10-day orientation program held on the HFA campus, delivered by HFA CWSP

staff, teachers, and work-study supervisors. Topics were reinforced and augmented in

two full day in-service programs conducted during the first two weeks of school, prior to

students beginning their work-study assignments. Students who did not attend summer

orientation received this training during fall in-service days and did not begin their work-

study jobs until the training was completed.

The objectives of these orientation sessions were to provide orientation to the work study

program, including why it is part of HFA, how it works, types of work assignments

students can expect, benefits to students, and

grading/assessment criteria. Sessions also

introduced students to different types of businesses

(e.g., for-profit, non-profit), major common

departments in business organizations (e.g.,

finance, human resources, information technology,

marketing), and common business lingo. They also

educated students on workplace safety, treatment

of work documents (regarding confidentiality, non-

disclosures, HIPPA, etc.), and other considerations

related to working in office environments.


The orientation also was designed to begin developing within the students the core

competencies (“soft skills”) needed to succeed in a career and the work study placement,

including:

Communications – eye contact, shaking hands, paying attention,

asking questions of adults, listening attentively, accepting feedback,

reporting status on task progress and completion

Managing time – staying on task, being on time at end of breaks

Organization – planning an activity, having proper materials,

cleaning up afterwards

Appearance and deportment – looking, acting, and speaking like

a professional

Patience – persevering through difficult tasks, listening to and

understanding directions

Self-awareness – understanding strengths and areas to grow, how student relates to

others and how that may matter

Teamwork – being able to work effectively with others

Business meetings and dining etiquette

Activities also exposed students to common office skills and equipment, including:

Copying

Scanning

Printing to a network (shared) printer

Alphabetizing

Filing

Phone – how office phones work, making

calls, leaving voicemails, receiving and

transferring calls

Mail – sorting incoming mail, preparing

mailings (labeling, postage)

Computing and business software

During orientation sessions, the HFA staff

conducted assessments and collected

observations of student skills, maturity,

interests, and personalities as input for work-

study placements.

“Our student has completed every

job or task that we have thrown

her way with ease. Her attitude is

excellent and she seems to enjoy

working with us and we enjoy

working with her. I have been

very impressed with her!”



Assignments and Projects

During the school year, students were given assignments and projects that contributed to

their work-study grades. In the first and second quarters, the assignments focused on

learning about businesses and other organizations, and exploring work competencies.

Typing was introduced in the third quarter.

The capstone project for the year was assigned in the third quarter. Students conducted

interviews with work supervisors, learning about their early-life ambitions, what education

they’ve pursued, how their career brought them to their

current positions, and what it takes to be successful at

work. They incorporated this supervisor profile into a

capstone PowerPoint presentation, which also included

sections profiling their work-study organization and

their job assignment. In the fourth quarter, students

delivered their capstone presentations to a small set of

classmates under the direction of the Student Success

Associates, and gave peer feedback on the

presentations. Finally, they presented their capstone at

work to their supervisor and a group of 2-5 colleagues!

STUDENT PERFORMANCE

HFA CWSP student performance was evaluated by work-study supervisors using six core

competencies:

Listening - Attentive, respectful when being given

information or instructions

Patience - Persevered in performing tasks, understands

instructions

Organization - Approached and executed work tasks

methodically

Quality - Delivered high-quality results

Time Management - Worked hard, stayed on task, sought

assistance when needed

Communications- Demonstrated effective two-way

communication with supervisor(s), colleagues(s)


Scoring of the students in each of these competencies used the following scale:

5 = Excellent

4 = Very Good

3 = Adequate

2 = Needs Improvement

1 = Unacceptable

Supervisors were introduced to the HFA CWSP six core competencies of student

performance during orientation sessions. They were asked to submit ongoing feedback

throughout the year, scoring students in these six competencies and providing comments

on student strengths/commendable work, opportunities for improvement in soft/hard

skills, and other comments related to the work study program.

Link to online form: http://goo.gl/forms/sKd7pSBICW

HFA received an average of over 10 responses for each student throughout the year

(close to 700 in total). This allowed the CWSP staff to identify students who needed one-

on-one attention in areas to improve, celebrate excellent performance and notable

improvements, and target themes for additional group training.

The average scores across the six competencies for each quarter (Q1 through Q4) are

shown in the following figure.

Our class ended the year scoring a 4.39 – between “Very Good (4)” and “Excellent (5).”

Scores also consistently improved throughout the year. This improvement is attributable


to the increasing comfort and maturity of students in their work assignments,

improvements in supervisors’ understanding of how to best help students, and attention

from the HFA CWSP team to individual and broader needs.

Supervisor scores for each of the six competencies are shown in the following table.

Listening Patience Org’z’n Quality Time Mgt Comm’ns

Avg. 4.30 4.25 4.18 4.17 4.11 3.97

Q1 4.15 4.10 4.03 4.02 4.07 3.72

Q2 4.27 4.24 4.14 4.10 4.04 3.94

Q3 4.44 4.37 4.29 4.34 4.19 4.12

Q4 4.47 4.45 4.42 4.35 4.27 4.38

Notable observations:

Communications was the lowest-scoring competency in the first three quarters, and

started off particularly low compared with other competencies

in Q1, with a score of 3.72 – between “Adequate (3)” and “Very

Good (4).” HFA’s CWSP staff conducted sessions with

individuals and student groups to work on improving in areas

often noted by supervisors: asking questions, reporting status

of work (particularly when tasks were completed), and

integrating more comfortably into informal/social conversations

with colleagues. Scores improved substantially in the second

half of the year and ended with a very strong score of 4.38.

Organization, Quality, and Time Management showed little improvement from

Q1 to Q2, but were overall “Very Good (4+).” In the fall supervisor conference call,

CWSP staff highlighted approaches for supervisors to

help students in these areas, and at the winter

supervisor meeting conducted breakout sessions for

supervisors to share experiences and brainstorm on

tactics. These were shared with all supervisors, and were

commented on as being helpful; the increase in Q3 and

Q4 scores indicates solid progress in improving student

performance.

While technology skills were not directly measured via the six core competencies,

the CWSP staff noticed that many comments identified opportunities for improvement

related to typing and familiarity with business software. During Q3 and Q4, students

were provided with instruction and assignments in typing, Windows, and Microsoft

Office.


Supervisors were required to submit quarterly feedback for student report cards,

including the following information:

Overall quarterly score for each of the six competencies

Recommended letter grade, based on student competencies

Comments to be sent home on report cards: strengths and admirable work,

opportunities for improvement in competencies and work-related tasks, and additional

comments

In the fourth quarter, 93% of students received A or B grades, and the remaining 7%

received C grades, mirroring the strong performance recorded by the ongoing

competency scores and supervisor comments.

St. Joseph the Worker Scholarship

Each year, Holy Family Academy will issue scholarships to outstanding student workers.

In this inaugural year, three 9th-grade students

each were awarded $5,000 scholarships, to be

used toward costs of post-high school education

or training upon their successful graduation from

Holy Family Academy.

Students with outstanding grades and attendance

at work study, and with solid academic grades and

no severe disciplinary infractions in school were

invited to apply for the scholarship. The

application included the capstone work-study

presentation that students prepared during the

second half of the school year and supervisor

feedback. To apply, students also were instructed

to submit a letter to a hypothetical 8th-grade

student addressing the following:

What your work study assignment was (organization, general duties)

What you learned through your work study assignment

How you’ll apply skills and competencies developed through work study in school and

life

Why you would recommend Holy Family Academy and its work study to the student

Advice for how the student could get the most from the work study experience if s/he

comes to Holy Family Academy

Sixteen students applied, and three were awarded scholarships at a formal luncheon

attended by all students, HFA staff, and over 50 work study supervisors and other guests.


Dr. Charles Dougherty, President of Duquesne University and of the Holy Family

Foundation board hosted the event at the Duquesne University Power Ballroom. Mr.

Morgan O’Brien, President and CEO of Peoples Natural Gas delivered the keynote

presentation, and Father Tom Schaefer of LaRoche College led the benediction.

Excerpts from some of the student letters are included in Appendix D and capture the

wonderful experiences and perspectives that HFA students gained through the work-

study program.

ISSUE REPORTING AND RESOLUTION

On occasion throughout the year, circumstances arose related to students while at the

work-study office requiring assistance from the CWSP staff. These generally fell into one

of the areas in the following sections.

Student illness

When a student reported feeling ill while at

work, the supervisor called the HFA office.

HFA staff talked with the student and

determined a course of action, ranging from

students remaining at work to immediate pick-

up by HFA transportation. Parents/guardians

were notified if the student requested or if the

student was being picked up. In cases where

the student was picked up, the CWSP staff

consulted the parent/guardian regarding

whether to take the student home or back to

school.

Request for student to go off-site

If a supervisor desired to have a work-study student report to a different location for

work or to be transported to a second location during the work day, a Permission for

Offsite Work Day Field Trip form was completed (see Appendix B). These forms were

signed by supervisors, parents, students, and HFA CWSP staff. In some cases, forms

approving a ‘blanket permission’ for repeated offsite work were completed.

“To get the most out of the

work-study program, the most

important thing to do is to ask

questions. Asking questions in

any situation is the best way

to learn. Also give your work

the best that you have got,

because you won’t regret it.”

~ HFA Student


Incident requiring investigation

When an incident occurred in the work place requiring investigation, the Director of

Corporate Work Study led the process in collaboration with the supervisor. A Student

Incident Report was completed (see Appendix C) and communicated to the student. If

appropriate, the Director of CWSP visited the work-study office to explore the incident.

During the 2014-15 school year, three incidents occurred triggering this process. Two

were resolved without further action. One was escalated to the Principal’s attention and

resulted in students being suspended from work-study and from school. The students

were reinstated to school and work study with follow-up reviews; no subsequent related

incidents occurred.

Behavior needing to be improved

In cases where a student’s behavior was deficient, the CWSP staff discussed remediation

approaches with work supervisors, related improvement needs and tactics with the

student, and followed up to ensure compliance.

If the supervisor approved that the deficiency

was suitably addressed, no further record was

completed. However, if the student did not

adequately improve or sustain improvement,

the issue was escalated either to an

Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) process or

Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). See

Appendix C for these forms.

Two OFIs were initiated during the 2014-15

school year. In each case, the student

remedied the behaviors to the satisfaction of

the work supervisor and the CWSP staff, and

no further actions were required.

Four PIPs were initiated this year, resulting in some students being removed from the

work-study assignments following the joint judgment of the work supervisor and Director

of Corporate Work. Those students were placed in supervised in-service training following

removal from the work placements. They were placed in new job assignments, where

they were successful, receiving at least Adequate (3) scores in all competencies from the

new supervisors throughout the rest of the school year.

“I’ve only been working on the

HFA work study for a school

year and I can say I’ve had

more than one business tell

me to apply for a job when

they heard I was involved

with this program.”

~ HFA Student


APPENDIX A: ORGANIZATION

PARTICIPANTS

Work-Study Employers

Organization Type #

Jobs

Carnegie Science Center Funding Employer 3

Catholic Charities Non-Funding Employer 2

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Non-Funding Employer 1

Children’s Museum Non-Funding Employer 2

Community Kitchen Pittsburgh Non-Funding Employer 2

Department of Human Services, Allegheny County Non-Funding Employer 1

Duquesne Light CAP Program Funding Employer 4

Duquesne University Non-Funding Employer 2

Eaton Corporation Funding Employer 4

FedEx Ground Funding Employer 2

Franco Associates (Cost Company) Funding Employer 2

Giant Eagle Funding Employer 4

Hefren-Tillotson Funding Employer 2

Highmark Funding Employer 3

Holy Family Manor Non-Funding Employer 1

Jones Lang Lasalle Funding Employer 2

Junior Achievement Funding Employer 1

K&L Gates Funding Employer 4

LaRoche College Non-Funding Employer 2

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Non-Funding Employer 2

Make-A-Wish Non-Funding Employer 1

Marc USA Funding Employer 1

NAACP Non-Funding Employer 1

NEED Non-Funding Employer 1

Peoples Natural Gas Funding Employer 2

Phipps Conservatory Non-Funding Employer 2

Pittsburgh Steelers Funding Employer 2

Point Park University Non-Funding Employer 4


Organization Type #

Jobs

Pressley Ridge Non-Funding Employer 1

Providence Connections Non-Funding Employer 1

Robert Morris University Non-Funding Employer 4

Rosedale Technical College Non-Funding Employer 2

Schneider Downs Funding Employer 1

St. Vincent de Paul Society Non-Funding Employer 3

Superior Petroleum Funding Employer 1

United Way of Allegheny County Non-Funding Employer 2

UPMC Funding Employer 4

The Wilson Group Funding Employer 1

Funding Contributors

Allegheny Technologies

Bayer

Bridges & Co

Bryn Mawr Trust

Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney

Data Science Automation

Dollar Bank

Duquesne Light

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Federated Investors

Huntington Bank

IBEW

Mars National Bank

Northwest Savings Bank

Peak Performance Management

PNC Bank

US Steel

Waste Management

“<Students> helped to scan two

file rooms on our legal floors.

They scanned over 2000! This is

great! Because of this effort, we

are now ahead of schedule on

our 23 day scan-plan!”



APPENDIX B: PERMISSION FOR OFFSITE

WORK DAY FIELD TRIP FORM

Holy Family Academy Corporate Work Study Program

Permission for Offsite Work Day Field Trip

As part of the work study program, Holy Family Academy encourages employers to seek opportunities

for our students to experience offices and events outside of the main work place. When these

opportunities arise, we require that the employer submit an Offsite Field Trip request form, so that we

can obtain permission from the student’s parent/guardian.

Parent/guardian – please review the request below. If you approve, sign the form and have it turned

in to the homeroom teacher. If you have any questions, please contact Deb Sadowski, Director of

Corporate Work Study, at 412-307-0234 or [email protected].

Student Name:

Employer:

Job Supervisor:

Location (address) of offsite visit:

Brief description of purpose:

Date of offsite visit:

Approximate starting and ending times (leaving/returning to main work location):

Method of transportation to/from offsite location:

Name and job title of chaperone to offsite location:

Parent signature: ______________________________________________________

Student signature: _____________________________________________________

Work Supervisor: ______________________________________________________

HFA Corporate Work Study: ______________________________________________


APPENDIX C: STUDENT BEHAVIOR

REPORTS

HFA Work Study – Incident Report

Student Name:

Date of Incident:

Date of Incident Report:

Work Assignment:

Work Supervisor:

Summary of Incident (employer perspective)

Student’s Description of Incident

Write a description of what led up to the incident, what your actions were, and what you

should have done differently. Continue on the back of this page if desired.

Signatures

Student: _______________________________________________________________

HFA Work Study Staff: ____________________________________________________

Parent (optional): ________________________________________________________

Work Supervisor: ________________________________________________________


HFA Work Study – Opportunity For Improvement (OFI)

Report

Student Name:

Date of Feedback:

Work Assignment:

Primary Supervisor:

Opportunities for Improvement

1.

2. Expected Changes in Performance

1.

2.

Date of Next Review:

Signed

Student: _________________________________________________________________

HFA Work Study Staff: ______________________________________________________

Parent (optional): _________________________________________________________

Work Supervisor: _________________________________________________________


HFA Work Study – Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

This PIP process is being initiated because of deficient performance of the student in the work study

assignment. It follows corrective directions provided at the workplace. This document lists the

deficient behaviors and the required behaviors for the student to demonstrate in order to remain in

the work assignment.

At the Date of Continued Employment Decision meeting, the Primary Work Supervisor and HFA

Director of Corporate Work Study will review the student’s work performance in the period between

this notification and the decision date.

If the student exhibits excellent work behaviors, the work assignment will be continued, with periodic

reviews to ascertain whether the changes are sustained.

If the student does not exhibit excellent work behaviors, addressing the items listed here as well as

other expectations of work study students, the student will be removed from this work assignment.

This will be reflected in the student’s quarterly Corporate Work Study grade. The student will

undergo corrective in-service activities at Holy Family Academy until s/he is deemed prepared to re-

enter a work study assignment, at which time a new work assignment will be provided. If the student

fails to improve such that a new work assignment would be expected to be successful, s/he may be

expelled from Holy Family Academy.

Questions about this process should be directed to Deb Sadowski, Director of Corporate Work Study.

Student Name:

Date of Feedback:

Work Assignment:

Primary Supervisor:

Observed Behaviors Needing Improvement

Date of Next Review:

Date of Continued Employment Decision:


Requirements at Next Review to Retain Assignment

1.

2.

Acknowledged

Student: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Work Supervisor: ________________________________________ Date: _________________

Parent: ________________________________________________ Date: _________________

HFA Work Study Director: _________________________________ Date: _________________

HFA Principal: ___________________________________________ Date: _________________

Review Notes

Employer Participants:

HFA Participants:

Date:

Summary of Observed Behavior


APPENDIX D: SAMPLE ST. JOSEPH THE

WORKER SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

LETTERS

Dear current 8th grader,

My name is <<Student>> and I had a ton of fun working at <<Company>> during

my 9th grade year for my work-study. Every week I would go into work and be

greeted by tons of really friendly, fun coworkers. I would have an assignment ready

for me that I could do at my own reasonable pace, such as filing, scanning, working

with Excel, organizing, taking notes at meetings, and editing files.

Before I began I wasn’t sure that I would like that area of work, but it has introduced

me to work that I have come to love. I have learned so much at work that I don’t

think I would have learned otherwise. The main thing that I feel very accomplished

upon is learning to better communicate with people. I came in as a very shy person

and I am now way more comfortable with speaking, even outside my workplace. I

have also learned the many aspects of scanning and filing, which I thought I knew

before -- but I actually did not.

The things that I have learned at work are already being put to use by me. I have

been asked favors by people that are not sure what to do, and I can say “Hey I

learned that at work!” and help them out. By being given the chance to work at a

young age I am now more knowledgeable than others my age which will help me with

a future job.

I would recommend Holy Family Academy and their work-study program over any

school in Pittsburgh because the students are getting the greatest opportunity that

any school has to offer and also having so much fun with it. To get the most out of

the work-study program, the most important thing to do is to ask questions. Asking

questions in any situation is the best way to learn. Also give your work the best that

you have got, because you won’t regret it -- and giving anything the best you have

got is only going to benefit you and bring on good things.

I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to be part of the work-study program and

the chance to learn so much more, it’s going to be a great four years.

Sincerely,

<<Student>> (Current 9th Grader)


Letter to Future Holy Family Academy Student

Being a part of the first attending class at Holy Family Academy I was assigned at

<<Company>>.The general duties of our company are producing superior financial

returns, providing services to our customers. The company strives to develop mutually

rewarding relationships with its employees, partners, and suppliers.

At my work study I learned hard and soft skills. The hard skills learned included

copying, shredding, filing, creating spreadsheets, creating power points, and setting

up projectors. The soft skills learned were time management, organization,

responsibility, respect, and friendliness. I have also learned what the corporate

business atmosphere is like and how every part of a corporation or business plays an

important role.

There are many ways the skills I have developed can be transferred to my educational

and personal life. Having good organizational and time management skills

demonstrates my ability to complete task on time, my dependability, efficiency, and a

good work ethic. Having good communication skills such as being responsible and

friendly demonstrate that I can understand and clarify tasks given, talk to adults

respectfully, be trusted by adults.

The reasons I would recommend Holy Family Academy and its work study to other

students are because it helps build essential skills, good work ethic, networking, and is

a great resume builder. The competitive advantage you will gain is incredible because

it gives you a great boost at colleges and jobs. Another great thing is the transferrable

skills. Having the transferrable skills means that you can take these skills anywhere

you go such as work, school, and home … and when you’re out with friends these

skills can show your character and abilities.

My advice for the student is to have a good work ethic, be on time, be dressed

appropriately, ask questions, follow rules, and always make a good first impression. Be

open for learning and willing to accept feedback on what you do well and you can

improve. It’s that simple to make your experience at Holy Family Academy full and

successful.

Sincerely,

<<Student>>


Dear Incoming Freshman,

Congratulation! You’ve made it so far! These next four years may be the best ones of

your life.

My name is <<Student>> and by the time you read this, I will be a sophomore.

Freshman year was a crazy year for me. I came from a small Catholic grade school

and everyone knew me. Coming to Holy Family Academy is a new and different

experience for me. I go to school four days a week and work at a company called

<<Company>> on the other day.

My main responsibilities were filing, scanning, making sure the computers were on the

proper domain, doing projects using Microsoft Office applications like Word, etc. I

learned how to work with others, follow supervisor instructions, completed tasks in a

timely manner, be part of a team, communicate with coworkers as needed, act

responsible and represent my school in a mature way. This created the basis of a

good work ethic and the foundation of a good education for me to succeed in any

future opportunity.

The work study program helps you to be more confident talking to recruiters,

department heads, and others responsible for hiring employees. Holy Family Academy

provides us with the tools necessary for multiple paths to a future career whether it be

a four or two year college, apprenticeship program, or other technical training

programs.

The jobs set you apart from every other person because you can put that you have

worked at a big company like I did at <<Company>> on your applications or resume.

No one else our age can do that. Holy Family Academy really does have some great

opportunities available -- you just have to take advantage of them.

I wish you the best of luck and hope that you have a great first year at Holy Family

Academy.

Sincerely,

<<Student>>


Dear Future HFA Student,

Holy Family Academy is the best school I’ve ever experienced. It offers so many things, like a

corporate work study program, religious education, and the amazing food!

The job I was assigned for the CWSP (Corporate Work Study Program), was <<Company>> as a

marketing intern. I did many things like mail out whatever needed to be mailed, answer phones,

check voicemails, enter documents in Excel (such as waivers). Sometimes I even went into the

marketing warehouse and got items they needed to mail out. I know it doesn’t sound all that fun,

but surprisingly it is. The fact that I got to work in <<Company office>> was such an amazing

experience.

I learned so many things, like how to print, mail, laminate papers, and much more, but I’m just

going to talk about the most important things I learned. First of all, I learned the basics like

printing, mailing, answering phones, checking voicemails, and using Excel, which is all mandatory

for a job like mine. I learned what it was like to work in an office setting, and it definitely wasn’t as

bad as I thought. I was so intimidated to work an actual job in such a big office, but at the end of

it all I realized work isn’t nearly as bad as everyone makes it sound.

What I learned is going to help me so much in life, and even just the fact that I have experience

doing these things is going to look great on a college application or a job resume. Anyway, just

learning the basics is important -- in most jobs you need to know how to print, mail, etc. Not even

just at the workplace but at home it’s useful to know how to use these things too. Also, just the

entire experience of working is awesome because it gives me an idea of what it’s like to work in an

office, gives me an idea of what most co-workers will be like (I thought work was like the TV

shows, with drama, romance, things like that but it’s definitely nothing like that), and what it’s like

having stricter rules than I’m used to. I know I’m making this sound boring, but trust me it’s really

not, and it’s going to help you with your future so much.

I would recommend this school to everyone -- its opportunities are just amazing. I am truly

blessed to have been able to come here, and if you’re able to come here, you are too. It truly is an

amazing school, from the food to the students, just everything about it. You won’t find it anywhere

else. A usual menu for the dining hall is something like chicken, soup, salad, fruit, and sides to go

with the meal. It’s so much better than regular cafeteria food. The classes are small so you

connect with your classmates easily -- also your teachers have more opportunity to focus on your

needs since there’s not many other students to focus on. After so many of months of being with

my classmates I feel like we’re one little family. Seriously. I usually have terrible stage fright, but

around them I feel so comfortable.

My advice to you is just to pay attention as much as you can, ask questions when you need to,

and just make the best out of the CWSP because it’s going to help you so much in the future. I

hope this helped you!

Sincerely A Very Pleased Student,

<<Student>>

Holy Family Academy Corporate Work Study 2014-15 Annual Report

Documents

Transcript of Holy Family Academy Corporate Work Study 2014-15 Annual Report